Lowering eligibility for MBBS admissions decried

The Chandigarh-based Medicos Legal Action Group (MLAG) on Monday condemned the Punjab government’s move to lower the eligibility criterion for MBBS admissions in medical colleges of Punjab.

In a press release, the group said this move was a blatant violation and subversion of the admission rules as approved by the Medical Council of India (MCI), published in the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) prospectus and adopted by the state government. As per the group, it would also be a grave injustice to Indian-resident meritorious candidates who have qualified the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) in 2014 and thus are eligible for MBBS seats in Punjab under the state quota. This move will lower the value of the MBBS degree from Punjab in front of the entire nation & world, the MLAG said.

Dr Neeraj Nagpal, convener of MLAG, expressed concern following reports in the media that the Punjab government had sent a letter to the MCI, seeking relaxation in the admission criteria for NRI candidates and other reserved categories. He said this would set a bad precedent. It is understandable that NRI seats provide large sums of money to the institutes, but money cannot substitute for marks, he added.

Dr Anil Kumar, secretary, MLAG, said the BFUHS prospectus clearly stated that “any seats remaining vacant under the NRI quota during/after second counselling, shall go to the general category.”

He added that there are a large number of eligible/qualified general-category candidates available and the government is duty-bound to safeguard their interests as they have not opted for medical seats outside Punjab and are waiting for conversion of reserved seats to the general quota before the third counselling.